Ill. Panel Axes $7M Verdict Against Chicago Housing Authority

By Lauraann Wood

An Illinois state appellate panel vacated a jury's $7 million award for a Wendy's customer who was injured by a Chicago Housing Authority security guard during a shooting pursuit, saying the agency didn't owe the customer a legal duty to ensure its security contractor was hiring sufficiently experienced guards.

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7th Circ. Rejects Firms' Bid For More Flea Collar MDL Fees

By Celeste Bott

The Seventh Circuit on Wednesday affirmed an Illinois federal court's refusal to order a redistribution of attorney fees from a $15 million settlement resolving multidistrict litigation against Bayer and other manufacturers of Seresto flea and tick collars, saying two law firms arguing they were cut out of their fair share failed to timely challenge the fee-allocation process.

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Widow Sues Podhurst Orseck Over $4M 737 Max Settlement

By Mike Curley

An Indonesian widow is suing Podhurst Orseck PA and one of its attorneys in Illinois federal court, alleging they failed to keep her informed or get her all the money she was entitled to in a $4 million settlement with Boeing over the fatal crash of Lion Air Flight 610.

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OpenAI Says High Court Curbed Some News Org IP Claims

By Craig Clough

OpenAI told a New York federal judge Thursday that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Cox v. Sony decision bars a contributory infringement claim brought by four news companies accusing the artificial intelligence company of using their copyrighted materials to train ChatGPT, saying the high court's ruling eliminates the legal theory on which the plaintiffs rely.

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Sports Tech Company Calls Rival's Licensing Claims False

By David Steele

Genius Sports has accused Panda Interactive in Delaware federal court of falsely claiming licensing deals in several states, connections with sportsbooks, and production of NFL-related content, the latest act in a multiyear legal battle between the rival sports tech companies.

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Progressive Says No Coverage For $3.1M Cargo Losses

By Danielle Ferguson

Progressive told an Illinois federal court Wednesday it does not owe coverage to a trucking company over $3.1 million worth of Nestle product reported missing from deliveries destined for Walmart, saying the insured trucking company has refused to participate in the investigation.

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Amazon Reaches Deal To End Workers' Genetic Privacy Suit

By Patrick Hoff

Amazon has agreed to end a lawsuit alleging that it violated Illinois genetic privacy law by seeking information about job applicants' family medical history, according to a federal court filing.

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Ed. Dept. Tries New Tack To Scrap K-12 Mental Health Grants

By Ben Adlin

The U.S. Department of Education pressed ahead with its plan to end up to a billion dollars in school mental health grants, arguing Wednesday that a Seattle federal judge's December 2025 injunction barring the discontinuation of the grants shouldn't block the government from canceling the contracts outright.

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7th Circ. Affirms Grunt Style's $739K Army Motto TM Award

By Elliot Weld

The Seventh Circuit has upheld a jury verdict that awarded Chicago T-shirt company Grunt Style LLC $739,000 against another company for infringing its trademark of the U.S. Army slogan "This We'll Defend," saying that when it comes down to it, the case is about which company started using the mark first.

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CVS Can Keep Trial Win In Cooler Injury Case, 7th Circ. Says

By Y. Peter Kang

The Seventh Circuit on Thursday affirmed a defense verdict for CVS in a suit alleging it caused an Illinois shopper's injuries when dozens of water bottles fell out of a cooler, saying the plaintiff failed to prove the retailer had the requisite control of the allegedly dangerous condition.

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Trump Admin's Agency Records Purge Tests Judicial Notice

While courts commonly take judicial notice of data in government websites and reports, the Trump administration's recent modification or wholesale deletion of these sources means that litigants must look elsewhere to support trial admission of this information, says Jon Gryskiewicz at Lewis Baach.

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Series

Cow Horse Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Moving an unwilling 800-pound cow while riding a horse at high speed is exhilarating, a little unhinged and, at least for me, a surprisingly effective training ground for litigation — both demand focus, preparation over rigid planning and the willingness to act despite fear, says Ashley Zitrin at Glenn Agre.

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More BigLaw Raises Predicted Despite Silence After Milbank

By Alison Knezevich

While boutiques make up many of the law firms that have quickly matched Milbank LLP's recently announced associate raises, recruiters told Law360 Pulse this week that they predict more BigLaw firms will eventually reveal their own salary hikes.

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Analysis

Insider Trading Defense May Draw On 'Varsity Blues' Playbook

By Chris Villani

After enlisting a crew of experienced attorneys, defendants charged in an insider trading case allegedly involving deal information stolen from huge law firms are preparing to use a strategy that could take some cues from the "Varsity Blues" case in the same Boston courthouse.

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Q&A

JAMS Chief Executive Says Mass Arbitrations On The Rise

By Kellie Mejdrich

Mediation giant JAMS says it has seen a major upswing in mass arbitrations in employment and other contexts, as plaintiff-side firms develop new ways of responding to language requiring out-of-court dispute resolution by companies. CEO Kimberly Taylor and veteran JAMS mediator Robert Meyer spoke to Law360 about mediation trends, with a specific focus on employee benefits disputes.

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Atty Faces Sanctions Over Fake Quotes In Taco TM Fight

By Brian Steele

A Connecticut attorney could be sanctioned for including fake case quotes and misrepresentations of the law in court filings that seek dismissal of a trademark case against a taco restaurant, a federal judge said Friday in questioning whether the documents were sullied by artificial intelligence.

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Analysis

3 Things To Know As Judge Stares Down Impeachment Push

By Kelcey Caulder

The scandal that could cost U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross her job also threatens to cause courthouse chaos in the form of recusal motions, bids to reopen suits and uncertainty for clerks. Here, Law360 looks at three things to know about the calls to impeach the judge and their potential fallout.

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Texas Court Urged To Keep Judge Romance Suit Alive

By Adrian Cruz

In multiple filings, EJS Investment Holdings LLC has asked a Texas federal judge to reject attempts by former U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Jones and other parties to dismiss its proposed class action over his secret romance with a former Jackson Walker LLP partner.

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'Poor Lawyering': Walmart Flub Haunts Class Attys At 9th Circ.

By Jeff Overley

Amid warnings of a chilling effect on plaintiffs counsel, a Ninth Circuit panel Friday scrutinized six-figure sanctions against attorneys whose false advertising suit targeting Walmart Inc. collapsed because of crucial fine print in an avocado oil receipt.

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No Amici In Comey Seashell Threat Case, Judge Says

By Craig Clough

A North Carolina federal judge on Friday said she will not allow any amici to weigh in on former FBI Director James Comey's criminal charges alleging he threatened President Donald Trump with a social media post, finding the parties are "ably represented" by counsel and public input is not needed.

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Ill. Judge Decries Grand Jury 'Turmoil,' Tosses Fraud Charges

By Lauraann Wood

An Illinois federal judge agreed Friday to dismiss fraud charges against two men ahead of an evidentiary hearing probing recent grand jury misconduct claims, but cautioned that "getting rid" of the case may not have prosecutors' desired effect, as such allegations continue causing "turmoil" throughout the district court.

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Deluge Of Video Evidence Overwhelms Criminal Cases

By Brandon Lowrey

Surveillance cameras and police body cameras are creating a flood of video evidence that can help prosecutors and defense attorneys build strong cases. But many have been struggling with the technical and logistical challenges that come with the sheer volume of footage.

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Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Laura Stewart Liberty

The past week in London has seen the FCA bring a claim against a fund manager it accused of providing investment services despite having been banned, an Ardmore unit sue a contractor two days before the construction group's collapse, and shipping and cruise giant MSC hit back at an entertainment company following separate intellectual property litigation in the U.S. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Sue Reisinger

Elon Musk and SpaceX's legal team blasted off today with the largest IPO in history, with shares priced at $150 each at opening before briefly topping $176. And a new study shows investors have approved 11 of 17 companies' requests to move their incorporation from Delaware to Texas so far this proxy season.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Kirkland & Ellis LLP leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a Los Angeles jury in a bellwether trial cleared Johnson & Johnson of any liability in the deaths of three women from ovarian cancer.

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In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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